Executive Summary

What's Going On In A Baby's Brain
& What Can We Do About It?

George C. Halvorson
President & CEO of HealthPartners

September 1997

Why is HealthPartners encouraging reading to babies and young children? Why are we promoting interactive, stimulating activities between adults and babies and younger children, especially those who are in their pre-school years?

We’re interested and involved because reading and other inter- active activities affect the physical development of still-forming brains. They affect life-long intelligence levels. Most important – the window of opportunity to maximize cognitive development is limited.

Several research studies have shown that the experiences and interactions children have prior to age three impact significantly how they function during their school years and as adults. These experiences and interactions include everything from the daily living environment to nurturing care- givers and stimulation – visual, auditory and tactile.

Research shows clearly that the stimulation from interactive activities such as reading promotes growth of the key neuron connections, or pathways, in a baby’s or young child’s brain that are critical to developing intelligence. One research study, conducted by Craig T. Ramey, Ph.D., professor of Psychology, Pediatrics and Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, shows that intelligence scores increase up to 20 points among babies who were read to and intellectually stimulated.

Promoting early brain development is the single most important step parents and other caregivers can take to ensure a healthier and more productive future for our children. In fact, it may be as important to encourage early brain development – to feed children’s brains – as it is to provide nourishing food for children.

Reading aloud with a child also helps increase verbal and critical thinking skills. Early skill development helps children grow and learn during their primary and secondary educational years. It promotes confidence and encourages creativity. This is crucial for children to succeed in school, subsequent employment situations, and social settings.

As health care providers, we have a direct and unique opportunity to help new parents understand the importance of early brain development in their children. Our mission is to improve the health of our members and our community. In many instances, we can achieve our mission with simple, proactive steps.

Encouraging reading and other stimulating activities with younger children is one step that we can take as we consult with parents and caregivers. Our doctors and nurses can deliver the message about early childhood brain development during clinic appointments. Our clinics can reinforce the message by providing designated areas supplied with reading materials that we can encourage parents or other volunteers to use with children when they visit the clinic for appointments.

Early brain development is also critical to our children’s future success as employees, employers and community leaders.

On October 9, we are bringing together 500 representatives from business, government, parenting, health care, news media and education as well as individuals who are service providers or who work with non-profit organizations, day care agencies, libraries, religious communities and children’s advocacy groups to learn more about the science of early brain development. Through this community dialogue, Stimulate Minds At the Right Time (SMART), we want to challenge leaders to work together to make sure parents and other caregivers receive this important information about the relatively brief window of opportunity to make a positive, life-long impact on our children.

As business and community leaders, we must work together to assure that our children get the best possible start in life. We must collaborate, re-allocate and facilitate initiatives that focus on our younger children. It is our responsibility to use this scientific knowledge to create environments that prepare our infants and toddlers to take over as the next generation of leaders in business, government and community. Please join this important campaign. It is as simple as going home and picking up a book to read to the children in your life. At work you can encourage your organization to work with children who need nurturing and positive environments.

We must work together to Stimulate Minds At the Right Time.

HealthPartners organized SMART conference, Stimulating Minds At the Right Time, October 9, 1997 to promote business and community action fostering brain development in early childhood. MCCR cosponsored this conference and facilitated a workshop on the role of employers. MCCR also facilitates regular meetings of The Work« Life Network of business and community professionals focused on work/life strategies. For details call (612) 962-4120.

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